[SKRIVA] Review: Forrest j Ackerman's World of SF
- From: "ahrvid@xxxxxxxxxxxx" <ahrvid@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <skriva@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, pulpmags@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:49:55 +0200 (CEST)
First to my Swedish readers: Skriver detta på engelska, då det kan ha visst
internationellt intresse och jag är med på flera engelskspråkiga sf-listor. Och
ni kan ju läsa det, hur som helst. --AE)
I picked up a book titled Forrest J Ackerman's World of SF (Aurum Press, 1998;
first published 1997). I read it with some interest, since I met Forry several
times and since he writes about the history of sf on the screen and in books
and magazines from early days. The book has introductions by AE Van Vogt and
John Landis. (Forry, it says in the book, once wrote a parody of a New Wave
story together with Van Vogt, "Laugh, Clone, Laugh" - he wanted to make a
parody since he considered the New Wave "errant nonsense". Would be interesting
to see that story.)
4SJ's World of SF is in large format, ca 250 pages and mostly in colour. It
has five chapters:
The first chapter gives a little background to both the sf genre -
Frankenstein and all that - and Forry's own discovery of it.
The second chapter gives brief introductions of some of the most influental
sf writers, but since it is Forry and he remembers all the pulps, we will also
read about some pulp writers (most of them forgotten today).
The third chapter tells about all the sf magazine published in the US, from
the pulps and on (a little is also said about British magazines).
The fourth chapter is about sf in film, and particulary interesting is what
that Forry has to say about very early films, pre-sound-era films from Melies
and on.
The fifth and final chapter covers sf on TV. Also here Forry has some
interesting stuff to say about early series from the 1950s and into the 60s.
Those who think that Forry is only a film buff, should note that probably 40-
45 percent of the contents is about the authors and the magazines, and here's
what Forry has to say in the end:
"I still adore the written word and because I know I don't have to persuade
anyone to see the latest Star Trek film (they have already, twice), I leave you
with this thought: Go out and read the greats. Not just the Doyles and Wellses
and Vernes, who are taught in school and already well-represented in film, but
the lessser-knowns as well. The pulps may be collectors' items, but good
paperback anthologies remain in print. Worlds of great imagination are waiting
on bookstore shelves, anxious to jump out at you and cry, 'You will *love*
me!'"
Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this book. A mix of film trivia and
pictures, and mentionings of interesting books, authors and magazines, with
lots of nice magazine covers etc. I know that some (thinking of Robert Bloch)
mumbles that "Forry has the heart of a little boy - but not in a jar on his
desk!". And that may be true, but Forry is Forry and the world of sf would be
poorer without him.
And so this "sci-fi" business (and I belong to those who dislike the
abbreviation "sci-fi"). He uses it throughout the book, but he does not make a
point of it or go about ranting to the defence of "sci-fi". So for this time I
forget about it.
The only criticism I may have is that Forry could have more *old* material
(he should have tons of unique stuff from his collection!). I mean, there's
nothing particulary exciting about seeing page after page of Star Wars or Star
Trek or even 70s film pictures - which you have seen already. It would be much
more interesting with lots of pictures from 1920's or 1930's films, which you
haven't seen.
I'd love to see more pictures from old pulp magazines, and more of the
covers of those magazines. I love such stuff! (But oh, he does have pics from
old pulps and old films - I just think he could have more of it!) The texts
tend to be on the short side, but I think this is intended to be a graphically
oriented book.
But I don't mind that the book has a lot of "scientificombinations" and puns
à la Forry, like "cinemadaption" or "atomigeddon".
Some notes of interest from here and there in the book:
One of Forry's favourite early pulpwriters was one Aladra Septama, who wrote
only six stories in a two-year period. I have never heard of him (it was the
pen-name of a lawyer named Judson W Reeves, I learn).
He has an interesting story about the perhaps first black hero in a story,
published in Planeet Stories, which caused a lot of debate. (But he fails to
mention which story; it seems to have been in the 40s.) There was a heated
debate about blacks and Jews in the lettercols after that story, which ended in
one person boarding a plane to go to the home of som bigot (I presume) he
didn't like - to punch him on the nose!
Georges Melies made two "Journey to the Moon" films. The first from 1899 was
three minutes, and the second from 1902 was 21 minutes.
There was an interesting early *Danish* sf film, named the Sky Ship
("Himmelskibet" in Danish) from 1917.
An early sf film from the silent era was "The Sky Splitter" (1922), about a
trip to the Moon, which seems to have good special effects.
The first sf film done in 3D was called "M.A.R.S." (1922) - a k a "Mars
Calling", "The Man from Mars", "Radio-Mania".
A very interesting early British sf film was titled "High Treason" (1929).
It showed a future London, somewhat like Metropolis, talked about a tunnel
under the English Channel, etc: "It also shows the heroine , played by Benita
Hume, taking in a steam-filled stall a shower behind translucent glass, which
was rather racy in those days."
The 1930 film "Just Imagine!" buried a so called time capsule in 1930, to be
dug up 50 years later, in a lot in L.A. - Forry says he was there to see it.
However, in 1980, this lot had been covered in all concrete and buildings and
digging up the capsule was out of the question (and nobody really cared). It's
still down there.
Forry thinks the best version of Orwell's "1984" was a 1954 made-for-TV
British version (not the British film from about the same time).
Stan Laurel played - in his pre Laurel & Hardy days - in a funny adaption of
R L Stevenson's famous book in Dr Pickle and Mr Pride (1925).
"The World, the Flesh and the Devil" (1959) seems to have been an
interesting film (which I of course haven't seen). Harry Belafonte and a white
racist fight for the heart of the last woman on a post-apocalyptic Earth.
An interesting early Curt Siodmak film (in German) was "F. P. 1 Antwortet
Nicht" (1932), which is about a floating landing platform or artificial island
in the Mid Atlantic, placed there so that the short-range aeroplanes of the era
could refuel and cross the ocean.
As you can see, there are interesting bits and pieces here and there in
Forry's book.
--Ahrvid
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